Crockpot Oatmeal

Mmmm....tried this recipe this morning, delicious....and that's sayin something because I'm not a huge fan of cooked oats.

The great thing about this too: You make it the night before, so breakfast is ready when you wake up!

CROCKPOT OATMEAL (made enough for me, husband, & two kids)

1 cup steel cut oats **


2 cups water


2 1/2 cups milk


1 tsp cinnamon


Combine and stir in crockpot. Cook on low for 8-9 hours.


Top with honey, pure maple syrup, nuts, raisins, or fruit. I added honey to mine this morning, it was so good!


** It is key to use steel cut oats. They are the least processed of all different kinds of oats. (rolled oats go through a steaming process) If you use regular oats, you will get a soupy mush cooked to oblivion. Also a little warning, steel cut oats are more pricey. I plan on using them just for this crockpot recipe. But, I really really liked them...so to me...it was worth it. I will, however, keep looking for a better, more affordable way to continue purchasing them.

A FACT I LOVE:

A Whole food is more than the sum of it's nutrient parts.

New Year, Better Me

I remember every year growing up my cute Dad would give me and my sisters a page out of his special Franklin Day Planner to write our New Years Goals. He would help us think about them and give us some examples of his goals, and we would then write our own. I am so thankful for that small simple lesson. Every year at this time, I start thinking about my New Year's goals. I now start panicking if by the 1st day of the New Year I do not have them written down. Because it is one thing to think about them, but it is another to have them written down, concrete on a sheet of paper to remind you all year long what you wanted to accomplish that year. It's amazing how easy it is to forget. Because life happens.
So this year....guess what is #1 on my list. ME! I am #1. Call me selfish, I don't care. I want to be better than I was last year. I want to feel better. I want to eat better and live better. I am focusing on myself this year. Yep, I'm putting myself before my husband and my children. And guess what? I already know what will happen.....they will benefit too!
I remember my first year of marriage, I came across a saying....."A happy wife, is a happy life!" Well, I used that to my advantage, and said to my husband.....in a sarcastic (yet serious too) sort of tone....Honey, if you buy me an Ipod...I will be so happy. And you know what they say....A happy wife is a happy life!! Well needless to say, I got the Ipod...with that saying engraved on the back....but then guess what...I wanted something else to make me happy, oh and a new Ipod came out the next year, and the next year after that....and that cycle will continue forever and ever. Now that I am more mature....ahem!....I realize that that saying...is true. But in order for the wife to happy, she has to make herself happy. No one can choose that attitude for her. I have to make myself happy. Money cannot accomplish that (long term), things cannot accomplish that (long term), nothing material and tangible really can. But being selfish can! If I want to be happy, I am in control of that. That is why this year, the focus is ME. I will eat better, excercise better, and focus on myself and the way I feel about myself, which will in turn benefit everyone around me!

Also, I would like to point out, my post title is not New Year, NEW me, it is New Year, BETTER me. I do not want to change me, because I love me. And no one can really be NEW. I am who I am, and I'm thankful for who I am...I just want to be better. I know I can never be the BEST, because I will never be perfect....but life is all about progression, and so really every year, no matter what I accomplish this year, the next year I want to be better, so that every year I focus on myself and have something to work towards, something to make me better.

I LOVE a new year! It brings with it a fresh start, hope of better things to come, a time to reflect on last year and decide what you would like to do different, a time to focus on your deep inner thoughts, and to set goals for yourself in all different areas, spiritual, physical, family, monetary, you name it. A time to realize your potential and to work towards being a better you!

Bring it on 2011~can't wait!

A healthy iPhone App

I was excited to see this new app released by Intermountain Healthcare....even though I don't have an iPhone...but wanted to share in case anyone is interested.
It's called LiVe...and it is intended for a childhood fitness program, although kids, teens, and adults could use the info.
The app is modeled on 8 healthy habits. I think we could all benefit from these. They are:

1. Always eat breakfast--and make it healthy.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables.

3. Limit--or eliminate--sweetened drinks.

4. Limit screen time: TV, video games, Internet.

5. Increase physical activity.

6. Eat meals together as a family. (love this one, an oldy, but goody)

7. Be positive about food.

8. Don't criticize about weight.

The LiVe app:

1. Provides fun suggestions for following the 8 healthy habits.

2. Makes it easier to set goals and track progress. It also uses a roulette function to help generate ideas to increase your physical activity. Shake the phone, and a list of activities spins and lands on a suggested activity. (FUN)

3. Allows you to invite friends to be apart of LiVe!

You can downlad the LiVe app on this website: www.intermountainlive.org

Food Journal 12/14

This is what I ate on December 14th. Let me preface with some important information. Last week I was on vacation visiting family. There were parties and get-togethers with family and friends....so it was a very "dirty" week! I have been eating as if I'm weaning myself off of sugar/chocolate. Can't wait for after Christmas to go into major detox!!

Breakfast: Scrambled egg whites with salsa

Snack: Carrot sticks, 10 almonds, and 15 chocolate chips (there's the weaning part....)

Lunch: Grilled Chicken breast & pear

Snack:

Dinner: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Meatballs and homemade Spaghetti Sauce

That is 3 proteins, 3 veggies, 1 grain, 1 fat, and SUGAR. I normally strive for 4, 3, 2, 2, 1 and no sugar Monday thru Friday. And I really did not eat enough. (Getting ready for a surprise trip to DISNEYLAND....keepin me busy!)

I'm reading some really great books, so I'm excited to share more info after this holiday schedule doesn't keep me AS busy!! And guess what, I have the answer to life's most COMPLICATED question.............what should we human beings eat? Here's the simple answer that I will explain in a much more detail down the road: Eat FOOD. (not food-like substanses). Not too much. And mostly plants. (From the book, In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan) Is it really that simple. YES & NO. It's that simple, but our modern current life makes it really hard!


Use code: CHERRY for a 20% discount at Dave's Direct. Did you know the chicken you buy from the grocery store sits in a chlorine bath.....SICK. Oh yeah, and before it's killed, you would cry how they treat the chickens. Thankfully, Dave's Direct rescued us (and the chickens...sort of) and is now offering products that are treated humanely (until death do us part), and there is no hormones, no antibiotics, no chlorine baths....just pure, all natural delicious chicken. **Code does not work for promotional items.

And the winner is.......

The Dave's Direct Giveaway Winner is:


True Random Number Generator

Min: 1
Max: 13
Result:
2




#2!!!!!!!!

JULIEANNE H. from Riverton, Utah

Email me your address so I can get your meat pack sent out!

And for everyone else who entered....I will be posting a code tomorrow that will get you a discount. They have holiday packs right now that are only $29.95-- perfect for testing it out.




Here's is a description of what is included in the $29.95 Gift pack:

•3 – 9 0z Piedmontese Top Sirloin steaks. These are 21-day, dry-aged steaks at the peak of their flavor, and with unbelievable tenderness.
•3 lbs of our all natural, skinless, boneless chicken breast from Bell & Evans – The Excellent Chicken! If you are used to the typical grocery store or big box frozen chicken, you will be astounded at how good this chicken is! Our chicken is humanely raised in a low stress environment, and carefully air chilled using a unique system than preserves the quality without exposing it to chlorine baths or cross contamination.
•3 lbs of our all natural, dry aged Steak Burger. Where else can you get dry-aged ground steak?

A GIVEAWAY!!!!

**Giveaway ends December 13th at 10 AM (MST). I will then post the winner shortly after.



Since it is the season of GIVING, and my blog has over a thousand hits why not celebrate with….

A GIVEAWAY!!!!

And not just any giveaway either…..a really really cool one!!

How about a meat package of all natural, premium, dry-aged beef and all-natural chicken??!! (a value of $199.95)

This giveaway is open to anyone who lives in the lower 48 states. (see entry details below.) The company offering this amazing product doesn’t just do business in Utah. You can order their products online no matter where you live.

Dave’s Direct is a company here in St. George, UT. They sell farm fresh produce and all natural, premium, dry-aged beef and all natural chicken direct from the farm to you. (YAY--no hormones!) They offer a few different kinds of beef including Peidmontese beef. Ever heard of it? It’s a breed of cattle originally found in Italy that carries an inactive Myostatin gene which allows the cattle to grow muscle on muscle, making it extremely lean and tender. It’s also extremely low in calories, fat, and cholesterol. If you aren’t worried about that now, I promise one day you will be. Look at these cholesterol comparisons, based on 100 grams.

• Piedmontese Beef: 36 mg
• Swordfish: 39 mg
• Bison: 62 mg
• Conventional Beef: 68.5 mg
• Skinless Chicken: 70 mg
• Skinless Turkey: 73 mg
• Pork: 74 mg
• Shrimp: 152 mg

Also the fat in grams per 100 grams in Piedmontese is 1.7 grams. Compare that to Conventional Beef which has 11.3 grams of fat per 100 grams. I personally have tried the Piedmontese, and it’s incredible!! The steak my husband cooked for me was incredibly tender. We even cooked it without any seasonings to really get a sense of its flavor, and it was so delicious.
I also have tried their chicken, and it was by far the best chicken I have ever cooked. It was clean, tasted amazing, and very moist.
I’ve also tried their Private Reserve Beef and loved that too.

I purchase my chicken, beef and even produce on occasion from Dave's Direct. (Their peaches during the summer were the best I've ever had) I love Dave's Direct. Everything is very high in quality, and I've been so impressed with their products. They have great customer service and guarantee you will be satisfied.
Oh....and the all natural thing……ya….I’m really in to that.

So, here’s WHAT the giveaway will INCLUDE:

Dave’s Choice-Piedmontese- Family Pack:

Fajita Meat-1/2 lb pack …………..…..Qty: 4
All Natural Chicken- 1 lb pack……….Qty: 2
One pound Burger pack………………Qty: 2
New York Strip. 10 oz………………...Qty: 4
Filet Mignon. 6 oz…………………….Qty: 4
Steak Burger Pattie 5.3 oz (4 count)….Qty: 1
Tenderloin Butterfly 6 oz……………..Qty: 4

The winner will get this package shipped to their home FREE. As long as you live in the lower 48 states!!!


Here’s how to ENTER this incredible GIVEAWAY: (all steps must be completed to be eligible to win)

1. “Like” Dave’s Direct on facebook.

2. Check out their website….http://www.davesdirect.com/ and sign up for their newsletter.
On their home page click "Read More" under "Get the Dave's Direct Newsletter".

3. While on davesdirect.com….check out their meat packages by clicking on the “Order Now” tab at the top and tell me what meat package or item from the “build your own meat pack” most interests you. Include a comment on this post with your first name, last name initial, your city and state, and one or more products that Dave’s Direct offers that interests you.

4. Become a follower on my blog by clicking “Follow” on the right hand side.

I will announce the winner on December 13th (my birthday) , by selecting a number on random.org. The winner will then need to email me to claim their prize! CANT WAIT!

**Only one entry per person.

Food Journal 11/30

This is what I ate on Tuesday November 30th.

Breakfast: 3 egg whites on whole wheat toast

Snack: protein shake (1 scoop protein, 1 frozen banana, 3/4 cup almond milk)

Lunch: small piece of leftover weekend pizza (w/ turkey & green peppers) and a big salad with balsamic vingerette

Snack: Orange

Dinner: Grilled chicken & steamed broccoli

Thats 4 proteins, 3 veggies, 2 fruits, 2 whole grains, and 2 fats.

I strive for 4, 3, 2, 2, 1.